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McKinley defense smothers Kohala

It's one of the most-used clichés in sports: Defense wins championships.

But it is definitely the appropriate phrase to use in describing McKinley's total domination of Kohala in a 55-28 victory last night in the championship game of the inaugural Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Division II Boys Basketball State Championships at the Stan Sheriff Center.

With the win, the Tigers claimed their first state basketball title in school history. McKinley capped a remarkable season in which it overcame an 0-2 start in Oahu Interscholastic Association play to finish as the White Division runner-up. The Tigers won four games in the state tourney.

"It's all about defense," said McKinley head coach Bob Morikuni. "This whole state tournament, four games, we lived and died on defense. These guys played their best game at the right time, and I'm super proud and happy for them. For McKinley, for the coaches and for the players, the smiles on their faces are something I'll never forget. I'm looking at them carrying the trophy, and it's unreal."

Nainoa Lessary came out firing for the Tigers (13-6), connecting on his first four shots and scoring nine of his team's first 10 points as McKinley established a 10-8 lead as the opening quarter wound down.

The Cowboys kept things close by using an effective trap defense to force four Tiger turnovers in the first quarter, and pulled to within 12-10.

The second quarter was an entirely different story. Once the Tigers figured out that all they had to do was lob passes to one another over the shorter Kohala defenders, McKinley spread the floor and outscored the Cowboys 20-0 in the second period. With a total scoring run of 22-0, which began late in the first quarter and lasted until halftime, the Tigers shifted into cruise control.

"We just had to execute on defense, and we knew the offense would come around," said Lessary, who finished with 12 points and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Division II tournament. "We played hard on defense and our shots came open (as a result)."

Kohala (15-4) played right into McKinley's loose 2-3 matchup zone coverage and converted an abysmal 21 percent of its field goals in the first half, compared to the 60 percent by the Tigers. The Cowboys didn't attempt a free throw in the first half, while McKinley converted seven of 10 shots.

For the game, McKinley hit 18 of 27 free-throw attempts; a far better showing than two nights ago in a semifinal win against Farrington. The Tigers connected on just 11 of 27 free-throw attempts against the Govs.

"We shot a ton before we left school, and I got some advice from a friend: 'Tell the kids this is where they want to be mentally, and to focus,' and that's what happened," Morikuni said of his squad's drastic improvement.

Big Island Interscholastic Federation D-II champion Kohala ended its scoring drought in the third period, and outscored the Tigers -- who seemed more interested in milking the clock -- 7-6. But the 39-16 deficit was much too great for the effort to even make a noticeable dent.

The fourth quarter was a mere formality, with McKinley's Jonathan Lee scoring six of his game-high 14 points. Senior guard Ryan Bautista led the Cowboys with 12 points, and he nailed two 3-pointers down the stretch.

"It's real disappointing, but we played hard and had a really great year," said an emotional Kohala head coach Don Fernandez, who is bidding farewell to six seniors. "This was our last road game of the year, and we're just kind of beat up mentally, I guess. Maybe we were just overwhelmed by all this excitement; we weren't here tonight. But McKinley played great. They were physical and normally the team that plays their style is going to win."

McKinley's obvious size advantage helped the Tigers outrebound the Cowboys 45-26, thanks in part to Earvin Sione, who was a beast in the middle with 11 boards and six blocked shots to go along with nine points.

"We had a height advantage, so we said, 'Everybody crash the defensive boards, and respect their running game (influenced by their quick guards),' " Morikuni said.

It was obvious that Kohala was thrown off by the defensive pressure, which led to 19 percent shooting from the field.

"They blocked a lot of shots and that made us even more hesitant on offense," Fernandez said.

Division II

First three rounds at Kaimuki and Farrington High Schools; consolation championship at Kaimuki; fifth place, third place, and championship games at Stan Sheriff Center.Seeds: 1. University High. 2. Aiea. 3. Kohala. 4. Seabury Hall.